Chicago, IL, September 22, 2026 – The Society of Actuaries (SOA) announced the ten actuarial candidates selected as SOA James C. Hickman Scholars. The Hickman Scholars Program provides stipends to doctoral candidates working on actuarial research and education. The SOA Board of Directors named the program in memory of James C. Hickman, FSA, former dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business. Hickman helped support actuarial research and teaching as a member of the SOA. His program was established to increase the number of academic actuaries with a Ph.D. and actuarial designation who intend to pursue a career in academia.
Each recipient receives a $20,000 USD stipend for the 2026-2027 academic year. The Hickman Scholars named this year include students from Canada and Hong Kong.
The 2026-2027 SOA Hickman Scholars are:
- Ka Long Chiu, The University of Hong Kong
- Benjamin Côté, University of Waterloo
- Tianxing Yan, University of Waterloo
- Jingcheng Yu, University of Waterloo
These scholarship recipients were chosen from many highly qualified applicants either currently enrolled in or applying to actuarial science doctoral programs or a related field. These recipients have made progress toward, or have already attained, an actuarial designation.
In addition, the SOA renewed stipends for six previous Hickman Scholars for the 2026-2027 academic year:
- Olivier Côté, Université Laval
- Panyi Dong, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Haoqi Lyu, The University of Hong Kong
- Mengqi Wang, Western University
- Austin Riis-Due, University of Waterloo
- Yuan Zhuang, University of New South Wales
Visit the Hickman Scholars page to learn more about the program.
About The SOA
With roots dating back to 1889, the Society of Actuaries (SOA) is the world’s largest actuarial professional organization with more than 35,000 actuaries as members in more than 100 countries. The SOA’s purpose is to empower its members to drive solutions to life’s financial risks. To learn more, visit soa.org.